Chapter Fourteen
Ruby
Ruby blinked awake to Celeste's voice, soft and close.
“Hey. We'll be in New Orleans by nightfall.”
The sun was lower now, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Ruby stretched, wincing at the crick in her neck from sleeping in the car.
“How long was I out?”
“About an hour. You snore, by the way.”
“I do not.”
“You absolutely do. It's cute.”
Ruby felt a sharp tug of delight at the casual intimacy of the observation. This was dangerous territory, a kind of comfortable teasing that happened between people who were building something, not people having a temporary fling.
But God, it felt good. Natural. Like they'd been doing this for years instead of days.
“So,” Ruby said, needing to fill the silence before she said something she couldn't take back. “Tell me about your worst relationship.”
Celeste’s eyebrows rose. “That's quite a conversational pivot.”
“I'm curious. You said you dated a few women in college. Any disasters worth sharing?”
“It’s as I’ve said before. There weren't really any relationships, just brief flings. Nothing that lasted long enough for major disasters.”
“I see.”
“What about you? Any disasters I should know about?”
“Oh, I've got disasters.” Ruby laughed, but her voice held an echo of hurt. “My last serious relationship was Sarah. We dated for almost two years.”
“What happened?”
“She didn't want anyone to know about us. At first, I thought she just needed time. That she was working up to coming out to her family and colleagues.” Ruby stared out the window, watching the landscape blur past. “But two years in, I was still her 'friend' at work functions.”
“That sounds awful.”
“It was. But the worst part was that she didn't understand why I was upset. She said I was being dramatic, and our private relationship was what mattered, not what other people thought. But I needed more than that.”
“What did you do?”
“I ended it and told her I deserved better than being someone's shame.” Ruby turned to look at Celeste, needing her to understand this. “And before Sarah, there were other women who wanted me behind closed doors but not anywhere that mattered.”
Celeste was quiet, her expression unreadable.
“I made myself a promise after Sarah,” Ruby continued. “I deserve to be loved publicly. Everyone does.”
The words hung in the air between them, weighted with implications neither of them could acknowledge. Ruby knew what she was really saying, knew that Celeste would hear it too.
I won’t be anyone’s secret. Even though I want you more than anything.
Celeste's jaw tightened slightly, and she was quiet for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft. “That's a good promise to keep.”
After they’d driven in silence for a couple more minutes, Ruby spoke up again, desperate to shift to safer ground. Tell me more about the twins. What are they into?”
